Slap technique at home vs live

RuneMIkkelsen · #1 05-04-2007, 04:41 AM

I have been playing slap bass at a few gigs lately and I have had the same experience every time. I find it hard to hear my self even though I boost the signal, then I start to slap and pluck harder. And that really makes some of the more advanced techniques difficult. I believe it is very natural to play harder in a live situation.

So. My question is: Have any of you had any thoughts on this and what did you do? I can see two solutions. Either practice plucking harder. Or practice to stay calm during live shows, so that you wont have to slap/pluck harder at all.

gkbass13 · #2 05-04-2007, 05:05 AM

some EQ'ing might be necessary as well....i dont like a really middy sound solo, but live it helps everythgin cut through better IME.

dulouz · #3 05-04-2007, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuneMIkkelsen

I have been playing slap bass at a few gigs lately and I have had the same experience every time. I find it hard to hear my self even though I boost the signal, then I start to slap and pluck harder. And that really makes some of the more advanced techniques difficult. I believe it is very natural to play harder in a live situation.

I have struggled with the same thing.
Here is my hypothesis:
1. I was hitting too hard. I think that playing too hard actually gives your sound less depth.

2. My amp did not have enough headroom. Also it had a limiter with a slow release time which basically had the effect of turning the amp way down. The harder I hit, the softer the amp got.

3. Slap bass doesn't have the same type of sound that finger style does. It is basically percussive. I believe it takes the right musical context, one that is relatively sparse. You will notice on recordings, especially on Marcus Miller's CD "Silver Rain", how different the two actually sound.

Also Look at Ray Riendeau's "Ask a Pro" section. He adresses the implications of EQ. Best of luck...

RuneMIkkelsen · #4 05-04-2007, 10:41 AM

Thanks for the replies. I know about eq'ing. My question was more about how you approach slapping. Either to give it full power both when practicing and playing live. Or to try and relax while playing live to give it the same feeling as when you practice. And thereby making it easier to play. But with a lack of aggression

Joe P · #5 05-04-2007, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dulouz

...My amp... ...had a limiter with a slow release time which basically had the effect of turning the amp way down. The harder I hit, the softer the amp got...

Good point!

I imagine that problem could be perplexing!

I think (too) slow release times have been what has turned-off some to compression! GOTTA have appropriate attack and release times!

Joe

Winterpegbass · #6 05-04-2007, 03:56 PM

I too tend to slap harder/louder during rehearsals and gigs than when I am practicing. You can find alot af written material (slap it!) that advocates a lighter touch for better tone as well as the benefits of "economy of motion". On the other hand, if you watch the louis johnson or larry graham videos, they slap very hard with no economy of motion. I read a article on marcus miller's gear where his tech stated that he also is quite aggressive in his slap playing. I personally try to play with a lighter touch for the tone/economy of motion benefits but it is hard for me to maintain when playing with my bands.

Tony Oppenheim · #7 05-04-2007, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuneMIkkelsen

...practice to stay calm during live shows, so that you wont have to slap/pluck harder at all.

Rune,

Staying calm and centered is certainly important in performance, though some great players may give the appearance of being out of control, I feel this is usually mostly showmanship. The really great ones generally are very calm and focused.

I've always tried to practice to get as even as possible a sound from fingers and slap, because while I enjoy playing slap bass, most of the time, on actual gigs I've found that I'm playing finger style with some slap thrown in rather than all one or the other technique.

For this reason it's important to be able to transition from one technique to the other without having to reset everything.

It's important to practice your various techniques so that most of the control over your sound is in your hands rather than in electronics. I'm not saying you shouldn't use the electronics, but your basic sound and control of your instrument should be a natural part of your technique.

That's why a player like Marcus Miller sounds like Marcus Miller no matter what bass he is playing. The majority of his sound is in his hands.

At Bass Player Live (last fall) I watched Marcus go from booth to booth trying different instruments, and no matter what he was playing there was no doubt who was playing it, even when he was around the corner from my booth and I couldn't see him yet, I could tell it was him, and not someone just playing his licks.

I hope this helps!

Cheers!

Tony

fryBASS · #8 05-04-2007, 10:08 PM

weird. for me its the opposite.

JimmyM · #9 05-04-2007, 10:23 PM

The thing I've noticed about slap is that the calmer and looser you are with it, the easier it is to look like you're out of control with it. It's like watching a great pianist when he does flourishes with his hands to add drama to his playing. You want to hit the strings with authority but be relaxed, and that comes with practice. And then your volume issues will take care of themselves.

Anyway, you kids listen to Tony Oppenheim and do what he tells you to the letter. He wrote the book on slapping.

PilbaraBass · #10 05-05-2007, 04:05 AM

Jimmy's right...

relaxation is really key to playing any instrument...because all the micro-motions that are required become REALLY difficult when you're tense.

I've only been messing around with electric guitar the last two months. I brought my guitar to worship team practice thursday night...just for grins

although, I had no problem following along...I was really tense the first song, and boy did it show...and my left hand was almost cramped into a BALL...

after I relaxed, and just let it flow with more confidence, it was like night-and-day...I even got a compliment from the team leader for a nice line I threw in...

...and I'm not even a guitarist...LOL

JimmyM · #11 05-05-2007, 09:53 PM

Doubling rules, dude! I get about 10 gigs a year where they want me to play guitar, and I suck. But I know the songs and they know I won't play any trash, so they call me.

lamarjones · #12 05-08-2007, 09:36 PM

Some peoples techniques on slap just have it being not quite as loud as a very well controlled finger style. I find if I go for the Louis Johnson beat the hell out of a 4 string slap that it comes out usually like I want it to, but if I act real controlled with it, then sometimes its about the same volume or a tad less than my finger style playing, which I can vary the level on a decent bit.

So, if I am slapping on my F bass, i boost the lows and a little high. If I am slapping the 76 p/j, then actually I go wtih the beat the mess out of it usually. But, if i have a good eq pedal, then I will actually just use that to give me the ideal slap sound for whatever bass. Actually, I got an epi 502 so the dual channel thing is nice, but either way, I do boost when I go to slap, cause usually the lines are suppossed to be kinda amped up.

El Bajo · #13 05-09-2007, 06:35 AM

Live i poo it and keep missing the slap on the string and more importantly the pop. Its a combination of lack of practice on slapping, hitting to hard to make myself heard thus tensing up, playing a six string and not looking what I'm doing. Now i'm dedicating more time to learning the style just so I can throw it in confidently when the need arises.